Thank you, Robert (and also Aleksey) for the source.

For the benefit of those who can't read Pali, here's an English translation:

Kassapa, it's not the earth element that shrouds[1] the true dhamma; nor does the water element shroud the true dhamma; nor does the fire element shroud the true dhamma; nor does the wind element shroud the true dhamma. Rather, it's those mindless people[2] who arise *here* who shroud this true dhamma.

Note:

1. "Shroud" seems to me a good translation for "antaradhaapeti", in the sense that the notion of "antara" is kept; although the more common translation "cause to disappear" seems fine too.

2. Literally "moghapurisaa" means empty (or, hollow) people.

In other translations, "mogha" has been commonly rendered as "foolish" or "misguided". The commentaries usually gloss "moghapurisaa" as "tucchapurisaa". Not much help since the dictionaries define "tuccha" as "empty, vain, deserted".

The A.t.thakanipaata-a.t.thakathaa, glossed "moghapurisaa" as "muu.lhapurisaa tucchapurisaa". "Muu.lha" is a pp. of muyhati, which means "to be perplexed, bewildered".

So, "moghapurisaa" seems to mean people who are "empty of wisdom", in that he is perplexed, bewildered. I think "mindless people" serve well as a translation. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi translates it as "senseless people".

"Moghapurisa" is used by the Buddha in almost every instance to address bhikkhus who instigated the training rules of the Paatimokkha. If the instigator happens to be an ariya, such as Ven. Anuruddha, instead of that term, his name is used.

I do not know of any case whereby the Buddha used the term for anyone else other than bhikkhus. (Do correct me if I'm wrong.) So, it seems reasonable to assume that "those 'empty' people who arise *here*" means bhikkhus who are empty of wisdom.

[So, here's your "parasites and germs" in the great lion, Yong Peng.]


It's an important sutta that I think all Buddhists should read. The endnotes found in Ven. Bodhi' translation of SN is most interesting, with cross-tradition references extracted from the commentaries.

metta,
Ven K


At 04:03 AM 21-08-02, Robert Eddison wrote:

>Na kho, Kassapa, pathaviidhaatu saddhamma.m antaradhaapeti, na aapodhaatu
>saddhamma.m antaradhaapeti, na tejodhaatu saddhamma.m antaradhaapeti, na
>vaayodhaatu saddhamma.m antaradhaapeti. Atha kho idh'eva te uppajjanti
>moghapurisaa ye ima.m saddhamma.m antaradhaapenti.
>
>It's from the Saddhammappatiruupaka Sutta (S ii 223-5 = Connected
>Discourses, I 681).